Reprinted from the Health District's quarterly publication mailed to district residents (Spring 2001)

Dieting is a $33 billion a year enterprise in the United States. But despite all the money spent on pills, powders, shakes, packaged meals and services, Americans continue to get fatter. Why? 

Diets simply don’t work. 

Although many of those products, plans and diets will help you lose weight initially, 95 percent of dieters regain their lost weight—and maybe some extra—within a year. Dieting forces the body into a starvation-like state, and the body reacts by slowing metabolism to conserve calories. When you go off your diet and resume eating a normal number of calories, your slowed metabolism can cause you to begin gaining weight back almost immediately.

That's where the problems really start. Physical activity or exercise isn't the only thing that helps your body burn calories. The amount of muscle you have also determines how many calories you're able to eat in a day without gaining weight. Think of it this way: muscles are like little furnaces that burn calories even when you're inactive. Fat just sits there. The more you yo-yo diet, the higher your body fat. The more fat you have, the fewer calories your body can burn.

Dieters also hit snags by falling into a cycle of food denial and guilt. Making favorite foods off-limits or taboo and then eating that food anyway can cause feelings of guilt and failure. All those restrictions, broken rules and feelings of guilt can really take the pleasure out of eating. Food restrictions can also lead to bingeing. 
In addition to the expense of many diets and the loss of eating pleasure associated with dieting, consider these dieting risks:

• Feeling like a failure when a diet doesn't work
• Losing your self-esteem when you gain weight back
• Losing flexibility you need with your busy schedule (most diets don't allow for ordinary events like holidays, trips, parties and dining out)
• Losing energy—good nutrition and adequate calories are necessary to give you the energy you need to lead a full, active life
• Developing a dangerous eating disorder
• Becoming a bore because diets are boring—and so are you if all you can think and talk about is food and diets

So where does that leave us, if we give up dieting? The only way to sensibly manage your weight is to take care of your body—not starve it. This means forming healthy eating and lifestyle habits for a lifetime, including:

• Making better food choices
• Leading a more active lifestyle
• Taking better care of yourself
• Learning how to handle stress
• Listening to your body—eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full
• Learning to meet your needs in ways other than with food

Start by getting rid of the word "diet" and learn to nourish your body with healthy food and an active lifestyle. If you're stuck in the dieting cycle and don't know what healthy eating looks like, talk to a registered dietitian or check out the resources below. A year from now you may wish you had started today.